Together Against the Cold
by Phoenixfall
Summary: Lena and Kara are on their way to a ski lodge in the middle of a blizzard when they crash. Kara remembers something Alex told her long ago; the best way to conserve heat is by sharing heat. Inspired by the scene from HIMYM where Ted and Marshall were stuck in the snow and had to cuddle (mostly naked) to live through the night. (If I remember correctly, its been a hot minute).


"This is not a good idea," Lena grumbled. She was leaning close to the windshield, eyes narrowed as she struggled to see the road ahead.

"This was _your_ idea, you didn't want to be stuck at the motel," Kara reminded, drawing close the wool blanket around her shoulders.

"The weather forecast said it would start to rain and it would clear off the road," she grumbled, gripping the steering wheel tightly as the jeep skidded slightly as it hit a patch of ice,"Besides, we're only thirty or so minutes away."

"You are just impatient," Kara pointed out. The only reason she agreed to leaving the motel in the midst of a blizzard was because Lena had promised she would buy the endless buffet for the week they were at the ski resort. Motel food was certainly not the best and there was only so much vending machine sweets she could handle.

"What is so bad about wanting to spend time with my girlfriend on a romantic week away? A week without any super shenanigans or frustrating meetings with morons that don't know how to run a business…" Lena mumbled, glancing down at the gps screen.

"We could have just stayed in National City," she folded her arms across her chest. Kara looked out the window, hardly able to distinguish a tree line against the haze of white.

"And risk you running off in the middle of the night stopping some crime a regular cop could handle when you are supposed to be relaxing? I think the fuck not," Lena said, her voice soft with affection,"I don't know about you, but I want to curl up in a giant bed after a hard day of skiing, pop on a movie and, say, extracurricular activities."

"Why would I want to run off? What did you do?" Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her girlfriend smirking. She was well aware that Lena was planning something, and part of her was scared at what awaited her at the resort. Last time Lena hinted at something like this in a similar manner, Lena was the one that could hardly walk for a week. To this day she still thanked Rao for her extraterrestrial body after that _incident_.

"I haven't done anything yet," Kara could hear the suggestive smile without even looking,"Yet."

Her skin burned at Lena's provocative tone, Kara was well aware of how red her cheeks were. She was not sure if she would ever become used to this sensual Lena, but she knew damn well that she liked this new form of attention.

"Are you ever going to get comfortable with my flirting?" Lena gripped the wheel tightly with her left hand, blindly reaching over to touch her arm. Kara could not resist a smile, her skin tingling where Lena's hand briefly touched for a fleeting moment.

"I don't know if I'll ever get used to dating you," she confessed before quickly adding,"Not that its a bad thing, just, its- uh-"

"It's new and scary, and I get that, I really do. I know I'm your first same sex partner and your hesitation is perfectly valid. You're valid," Lena replied patiently. This was not the first, or probably last time where they would have a conversation about Kara's newfound sexuality,"It's only been six months."  
"Yeah, six months since we started dating. Not including the months prior I spent trying to convince myself that I was not in fact-"

"Head over heels for your best friend? Yeah, I can relate," Lena finished, her voice heavy in what she could assume was regret.

Faint headlights appeared of the horizon and they were moving fast and weaving across the entire road. Lena pumped the brake, a frown quickly forming as the other car completely lost control. The large shape of a truck sped towards them, turning at the last possible second to avoid hitting them. It was too late, Lena had already panicked, jerking the wheel slightly too hard and sent the jeep spiraling.

Kara entire body was frozen in fear, limbs weighed down as her heart thumped wildly in her chest, her mind screaming for her to do something, anything. The front hit the guardrail, launching the car over a bank. The only reason Lena remained seated was because Kara quite literally threw herself on top of her. She gripped tightly on to the door frame with both hands as the car tumbled down the hill, slamming hard into a tree. And with that, the world stopped spinning, only a deafening silence filled the frosty world around them.

Lena's faint groan broke the tense air,"Okay, my bad."  
"Damn right," Kara slowly pulled herself up, the door now dented where she had dug her fingers into the steel door. Her gaze landed on the thin trail of blood that grazed the side of her face, trickling down Lena's distinct jawline.

"Are okay?" Kara asked, head still spinning.

"I would be a lot worse if not for you," she smiled feebly, resting her head against the seat.

"I can probably fly us to the resort…" Kara said thoughtfully, although the snow was falling so hard the outside world was just a mess of gray and white.

"Don't leave me," she mumbled, rolling her head to face Kara. Fear swimmed in her light green depths, something she had never seen out of the usual fearless Luthor.

"I would never. At this rate, it will be safer until the blizzard dies off or at least slows down enough," Kara sighed quietly. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, camping out in the car would be their only option. She could not leave Lena with her head injury alone, not could she fly a human into the middle of a _blizzard._ It was too risky, especially since she had no clue where they were,"I imagine it is easy, even for me, to get lost in this mess."

"Kara?" Lena whispered, shivering as the heat from the car started to be overrun with the freezing air from outside seeped through the cracked windshield.

"Yeah?" Kara responded immediately.  
She unclipped the seatbelt, visibly wincing from pain not visible to Kara,"What are we going to do?"

"Get warm," she said, pulling on a few strayed threads of memory. Back with Alex was in med school, she had a scenario similar to this she had to prep for that Kara helped her study. Getting warm was the most important thing along with checking for any visible wounds.

Luckily there were no external damage other than the gash on Lena's forehead and with the help of her xray vision, no internal damage from what she could see. Her head, however, did not look quite alright, but to what extent she was unsure.

But it was the best way to optimize what little heat they had was what concerned her most. Layering up of course was the best way to conserve heat, but also bare skin contact to maintain core temperature was strongly advised.

"Climb in the back, it'll be more comfortable," Kara suggested tentatively. Lena obeyed wordlessly, taking her time as she crawled between the center console and settling down on the back seat.

"You okay?" She wanted to make sure Lena was still somewhat conscious. Kara shoved the giant wool blanket to the back, hoping that with the added layer of their heavy winter jackets to keep them warm enough.

"Mhmm," Lena grumbled her reply.

"Okay, so, this sounds impractical but I swear it's not," Kara begun to say as she unfastened her seatbelt and squirmed to the back. "But, the best way to conserve heat is-to, um, well. Is, supposedly _bareskincontact_ ," She rushed out the last few words as a fierce blush begun to form.

"Kara, sweetheart, are you asking me to take off my clothes?" Of course Lena found this amusing, she always seemed to find joy in her frustration when it came to anything remotely sexual.

"I mean, uh. Not if you don't want to, it's just something Alex said to do…" Kara stuttered, averting her gaze as Lena unzipped her jacket. Her eyes did not wander far, instead falling on Lena's strained face. The bleeding had stopped, drying into a crusted streak down the side of her face. Lena's perfect face was only accented by this little flaw, but it that little scar would remind her forever of their first 'vacation' as a couple.

If they survived the night, however.

"We've done worse things than cuddle, partially naked," Lena seemed alarmingly unbothered. She let the jacket slide to the ground, an eyebrow raised as if she was amused by Kara's refusal to watch.

"This isn't a one person show, darling. I don't feel like freezing to death, so start stripping," she added, meeting Kara's gaze with a suggestive gleam. Lena managed to get of the majority of her clothes without needing Kara to help despite multiple groans of pain.

All that was left on was a thin black undershirt and sweatpants,"Bare skin? Like _everything_ or?"

"Tanktop has gotta go, but the pants can stay on," Kara responded, reluctant to submit herself to the increasing chill that filled the car. While her Kryptonian body handled extreme temperatures better than humans, there was still a risk of hyperthermia.

But you can't watch," she mumbled, shrugging off the huge snow jacket. She tossed it over Lena's head, shielding her eyes from watching. Kara was already reluctant enough to be doing this, she didn't need Lena staring at her like a starved wolf.

"How about we both turn, and you let me know when you are ready?" Lena had tossed the jacket on the pile of clothes, already turning to face the window without waiting for an answer.

 _'This is not how I thought this trip would be going,'_ Kara thought, hesitantly removing the long sleeve shirt she wore. She shivered against brisk cool air that rushed her bare skin, eagerly wishing to be back in the safe comfort of her apartment. She adjusted her simple black sports bra so it fitted her chest a little better.

"Ready," she sighed, pushing away any reservations.

" _Oh,"_ Kara lost her breath temporarily, her eyes landed on Lena's red laced bra, which so happened to be her favorite. She loved the way her girlfriend's chest rose and fell with each breath, highlighting her sharp collarbone.

"You have an entire week to stare," Lena laughed as she grabbed the wool blanket from the floor,"I don't know about you, but I'm freezing my ass off."

"Yeah, um, of course," Kara shoved some of the loose clothing against the door, giving her back something more comfortable to lean against. Chewing on the inside of her lip nervously, Kara motioned for Lena to get closer.

"Damn, if we weren't on the precipice of hypothermia…" Lena smiled just enough to send her heart racing. With the blanket against her back, she nestled herself tightly between Kara and seat. Mostly on Kara, though, as Lena nuzzled her head underneath Kara's chin.

"Behave yourself," Kara pulled the blanket up so it covered Lena's shoulders and the rest of her own body. Just within her reach were the two weather jackets that she spread across her girlfriends back, hoping it would provide a little more insulation.

"But-" She cut Lena short by giving her a light kiss on the lips. With their mostly bare torsos touching, Kara could feel her heartbeat quicken as she slid an arm around Lena's chilled waist.

"We have to conserve our energy, so keep your hands to yourself," Kara murmured, eyebrows knitting together as Lena rested her left arm just above her chest.

"You're no fun," she grumbled, nuzzling her nose just underneath her jaw. She seemed to be warming up by the Kryptonians body heat, although Kara was doing just fine on her own as it felt like her stomach was on fire.

' _Will I ever get used to this? To having the girl of my dreams?'_ Kara wondered, her breath stolen away as she felt a pair of lips brush against her neck.

She inhaled a deep breath of frosty air along with a faint scent of some outrageously expensive perfume overwhelmed her senses. She did not realize until now, ironically, how good things had gotten. Sure, six months seemed like nothing compared to all the time wasted chasing after someone so perfect, so out of her league, she never dared to dream that Lena felt the same way.

"Lee? No sleeping, I'm worried about that head of yours. Just in case you have a concussion," Kara replied as Lena's breathing started to slow into a familiar sleeping rhythm.

"You're right," Lena sighed heavily, wiggling her body down until her chin rested comfortably on Kara's chest.

"What are you doing?" she asked, craning her next down to look at Lena.

"What? I can't just look at my amazingly adorable girlfriend?" Lena blinked, staring up at her with wide, breathtaking crystal green eyes.

"Because you want something," Kara replied said, her tone flat. Not that Lena had to ask more than once for most anything, it was almost impossible to say no to the Luthor woman.

"For once, no. I mean, I would love to not be trapped in a blizzard-"

"Again, I advised _against_ leaving the comfort of the motel."  
"However, I'm glad we're stuck here together. It gives us time to talk, cuddle, other things," Lena could not help but slip in something suggestive, as per usual.

"I hope that 'other things' means more talking," she replied, unable to resist the broad grin that spread across her face.

"There's been something that's bugged me for awhile now…" Lena kept her gaze on Kara's face.

"Yeah?"  
"Why was it so hard to tell me how you felt?" She asked, surprising Kara with the last word. She was waiting for the 'why did hide the Supergirl identity' question, but not one regarding her hesitation of admitting her attraction to Lena Luthor, of all the people in her life.

"Shame? No, definitely not the right word. Scared? Probably scared. I didn't want to lose my best friend because of some silly feelings, not since I had lost so much already," Kara said, using her extra hand to stroke Lena's smooth brown hair,"Definitely scared. I thought I imagined what I feel for you at first."

"Tell me about that, when you first knew?" Lena encouraged her to keep talking. The temptation to sleep tugged on her own eyelids, she could only imagine the risk was greater on the injured Luthor.

"So my cousin visits into town for some column he was doing. He asked me to tag along, so I did. I swear on Rao that the first words that entered my brain was _hot damn_ when we walk into the L-Corp CEO office that belonged to you. I always heard of the terrible things Lex did, but since I try to see the best in people, I tried to not let his biased opinion sway me. You can imagine his reaction when I told him that I was drawn to you, like a moth to a flame. He told me to stay away," Kara explained fondly, still surprised to this day she attracted the attention of the ever so busy CEO.  
"And why didn't you? I am sure everyone else told you too," Lena inquired, sounding sluggish.

"You're right, at first they did. Until you really came through and helped so much with Reign," she traced her finger along Lena's spine. She shivered under her light graze, but refrained from making any moves on the Kryptonian.

"I never did receive proper thanks," Kara knew well enough that the smile she flashed held a not so subtle meaning.

She choose to ignore Lena's addition and continued to speak,"You made the connection by now I'm sure, with what happened with Mon El?"

"You mean the privileged asshole that had to leave for his safety, only to return a privileged asshole where the only difference was a beard and a new sense of entitlement?"

"So yes?" She was not expecting a very strong opinion out of Lena regarding her past lover.

"Alex and I talk," Lena shrugged, as if it was nothing.

"About?" Kara was indeed curious what the two women she loved most in the world talked about when she was not there to defend herself.

"Nothing to worry about," she replied instantly,"Anyways, you were saying?"  
"Right, Mon El. Well, when he had to leave the first time, I was heartbroken. I didn't want a human life anymore…" She trailed off, unsure of how to word this next sentence.

"I think I remember, this was around the time when you went a-wall after the Daximite invasion. I was so desperate to talk to you I even reached out to Alex," Lena added.

"Yeah. What you don't know, is that you were the first person that made me smile. What you said that day when you presented the statue… I knew then I could trust you with my life. I wasn't just Supergirl to you, even though you didn't know it at that time, you saw the light that I had lost sight of," It was that moment on the rooftop that acted as a catalyst. She fell, _hard_ , for the Luthor woman after that day, when everyone else told her to stay away, that she was dangerous.

"I didn't know I had that effect on you," Lena's face softened with a fleeting moment of sadness.

"I'm so much better now, especially since I stopped fighting my affliction and just accepted that I'm bisexual. After a long talk with Alex, of course," Kara said quietly, unsure of what else to say. Lena already knew how naive she was at lesbian sex, a topic she refused to cover with Alex, and did her best to accommodate her nerves.

"What did Alex say, when you told her about us? I know we're keeping this quiet, but if there is one thing I know for certain about you is that you two are inseparable," Lena yawned. Kara could clearly see that she was fighting hard against the temptation to close her eyes for two minutes.

Kara glanced outside, a slight feeling of relief resonated in her chest. From what she could see, the blizzard started to die down. Not enough for her to get them out of there safely, but enough to hint that they could actually leave soon enough. The issue was, keeping Lena awake and attentive until that moment arrived.

"Believe it or not, she wasn't surprised, but relieved," Kara replied adamantly,"'Finally, a reasonable explanation on your obsession with Lena.' Were her words exactly."  
"Should I be concerned about this obsession?" Lena raised an eyebrow. Whether she knew it or not, Lena was biting her lip as she waited a response.

"No? Maybe? I talked about you… Alot. Alex said it was too much referencing you in conversations where there was no reason to mention you was what gave me away. She just waited until I came to her with the questions of what I was., but she always knew you were the reason I started to question my sexuality."

"What about you, Miss Luthor?" Kara persisted, trying to get Lena to keep talking as her eyelids started to stay closed longer than she would have liked. She didn't think the cold as much of an issue, rather Lena was comfortable as she basically used Kara as a mattress.

"Rather simple, really. I had a shitty day at work, came home and just sat there. Something was missing, or I guess, someone. There was one person I wanted to talk to, that I felt would be able to help me overcome whatever turmoil I suffered through that day. For some reason, my mind always went to straight to you. I wanted to come home after a hard days work and you be the first thing I see," Lena sloppily kissed the crest of her collar bone.

"And who knew that two people destined to meet would find love in the midst of hatred and ignorance?" Kara murmured, kissing the top of her head,"Not that, I, actually, I mean maybe someday sure, but-"

"I love you too, you big gay dork," Lena smirked weakly,"I'm glad I'm stuck here with you. This is not how I imagined our first vacation together going."  
"Honestly, I would not have any to compare it with, I have never been on anything like with someone I'm dating," Kara drew the arm that was wrapped around Lena farther up her back, tightening her hold.

"I think that's the first time I've heard you refer our relationship as officially 'dating'," Lena teased, tracing the side of Kara's face with her index finger.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Kara felt the familiar rush of heat to her cheeks.

"Kara, it took you four dates for you to even work up the nerve to hold my hand," she pointed out gently, tucking her head underneath Kara's chin,"And how many months to figure out I was flirting with you?"

"I'm sorry," Kara murmured, trying to keep her head still. She wondered how much time had passed since they crashed, there was no way to tell by looking outside. It was still daylight, but what little of the sky she could see was a dark gray, so perhaps dusk was arriving.

"What for?" Lena's warm breath tickled her skin.

"I don't know what you were expecting from me… You could have had anyone you wanted, and you settled for me. I'm sure it has been frustrating having to hold my hand through the more intimate stuff," she stopped talking before she escalated into a full scale ramble.

"Kara, I don't _want_ anyone else. I understand that this is new and a struggle for you, I don't want to push you out of your comfort zone. You are my everything and you have been for quite some time. The only difference now is more touching," Lena chuckled. Worry sprouted in her chest as a quick set of shivers consumed Lena's body.

"I have to admit, the cuddling is pretty great," Kara fiddled with the clasps of her bra strap, holding no attentions to undo it but to just provide distraction.

"You know what I meant," her voice was slightly distorted as a mix of desire and drowsiness.

Kara answered by sliding her hand underneath the thin laced bra, following the band to her side. She was surprised by her own actions, but Lena was slipping closer to giving in to the temptation of sleeping. Perhaps some teasing would encourage her to stay awake, considering how dangerous it could be if Lena fell asleep.

"Two can play at that game," Lena seemed slightly more attentive, at least enough to lazily trace the outlines of her abs.

She sucked in her gut, tickled by her light touch,"How do you feel?" She tried to keep the conversation going, aware that simple light touches would only do so much.

"You don't want to know," she responded instantly, Lena's voice shaking.. Lena shivered once more and she snuggled even closer to Kara. In effort to find more warmth, she took full advantage of the heat radiating off the Kryptonian and laid flat across Kara's body.

"Now is not the best time," Kara hummed. Lena abide and instead she tangling her hands into Kara's dark blond hair.

In the steady silence of snowfall, the alien woman held the human, listening closely to her breathing. Other than the occasional bout of shivering, Lena's heart rate remained steady, just enough for Kara to be reassured that she was awake.

Her pale sky blue gaze remained intent on watching the storm outside. The snow slowed enough so that she could distinguish individual snowflakes, marking as a sign that now would be a good time to flee.

"Alright, my love, I think it's time to make a break for it," Kara gently prodded Lena's ribcage,"Time to get dressed."  
Lena grumbled something inaudible in response as she drew the blanket over her head.

"Lena Kieran Luthor, if you do not get up right now-" she started to threaten until Lena cut her off with a muffled laugh.

"What? You're gonna ground me?"  
"I'll make the walk through the snow and ice worth it," Kara promised, shocked by her own provocative tone. It seemed to work, as the next thing she knew Lena had jolted up and was rapidly pulling over a thin sweatshirt. She bundled up in several additional layers, reluctantly getting off of Kara's lap so that she too could get dressed.

"So we're walking?" Lena asked, loosely throwing up her hair in a bun.

"I'm walking, kind of like a super powered mule," as soon as she realized what she said translated poorly, Kara tried to recover,"not like that, I just mean that I'll be carrying you, I don't want you to expel any additional energy unless absolutely necessary."

"Sounds fun," Lena kindly averted her gaze without being asked as Kara grabbed the nearest article of clothing to just have something covering her crystalised skin.

After Kara got as many layers on as she could fit, she had to essentially break down the door in order to get out. Shoving her hands in her pockets, Kara trudged around the car as she took in the full extent of damage. The front was completely crushed and there were dents around every corner. If not for Kara, Lena probably would have not walked away from the accident.

But she should not focus on what could have happened, but rather what still can. There was no time to wait, she had to get Lena to safety. She knew they were not far from the resort, and if she glided just above the road than hopefully they won't get lost.

"Ready?" Lena called the car, sticking her head out.  
"Yes?" She reluctantly agreed, shoveling back to the car. Kara held out her arms, offering her protection against the storm.

Lena eagerly agreed, basically jumping in to her arms. The Kryptonian turned to face the storm, her girlfriend safe and secured in her arms.


End file.
